St. Luke Church sits in the southeastern corner of Lexington, Kentucky, at 2351 Alumni Drive, where a six-and-a-half-acre campus hosts four Sunday services under one roof: two traditional gatherings, a contemporary one in the gym, and a Swahili and French service that draws members of the Congolese diaspora and other French-speaking and Swahili-speaking neighbors. The same building houses God's Pantry, an on-site food bank that distributed groceries to thousands of households last year, a year-round preschool called Kids Day Out, a walking track that loops fifteen laps to a mile, and classrooms full of children, youth, and adults who meet every week of the school year to study Scripture and pray together.
The congregation's tagline sums up its reason for existing: Find Jesus, community, and the life you were created for. St. Luke's mission is to help those in the greater Lexington area know hope, healing, and wholeness through a transformed life in Jesus Christ. St. Luke runs a tight weekly rhythm of worship, study, hands-on service, and pastoral care, and it is best known locally for two things that set it apart: its multilingual worship and its on-site mission to fight food insecurity in Fayette County.
Four Sunday Services, Three Styles, One Building
Sundays at St. Luke are built around four services, each about an hour long except the Swahili gathering, which runs close to two hours. The two Traditional Services, at 8:20 and 11:00 a.m., take place in the Sanctuary and follow a familiar liturgical shape: prayer, traditional hymns performed by the Chancel Choir and Choral Scholars, scripture reading, a children's message, and a sermon from one of the pastors. The 11:00 service ends with communion on the first Sunday of each month.
The Contemporary Service meets at 9:30 a.m. in the gym and trades hymnals for modern Christian music led by a volunteer band, keeps the same scripture teaching and children's message, and offers communion every week. Coffee and donut fellowship follows in the gym lobby right after the last song. A Swahili & French language service gathers at 1:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary and serves the Congolese diaspora of Lexington through preaching, music, and prayer rooted in African and Congolese church traditions. The 9:30, 11:00, and 1:00 services all stream live on YouTube and Facebook.
The invitation to communion is open and ecumenical: Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to be at peace with one another. Baptized Christians of any age (including infants) and any denomination are welcome. Communion uses grape juice with wafer crackers, with gluten-free elements available on request.
Dress at St. Luke runs the full range, and worshippers are told simply that everyone is welcome. Jeans and flip-flops sit beside suits and ties in the Sanctuary, and the Swahili congregation is known for worshipping in the bright, colorful traditions of their home countries.
From Woodhill Shopping Center to a Global Methodist Congregation
St. Luke traces its roots to a single September 1976 worship service in the Woodhill Shopping Center, gathered under Pastor Marion (Woody) W. Church, Jr. The name was chosen on purpose: Luke was the physician of the New Testament, and the founders wanted the church to be an agent of healing in a hurting world. Thirty-two people signed the charter; by the end of 1977 there were more than fifty members.
In 1979 the congregation built its first facility, a multipurpose building on six and a half acres at what was then 141 Mount Tabor Road, now 2351 Alumni Drive. The current Sanctuary was consecrated in 1986 during the tenure of G. Lindsey Davis, who would later be elected a Bishop of the United Methodist Church. The education wing followed in 1990, and the Rev. Eugene Strange took the pulpit in 1995. Dr. Stephen L. Martyn, a future Asbury Theological Seminary professor of leadership and spirituality, arrived in 1999. The Rev. Debbie Wallace-Padgett was appointed senior pastor in 2004 and was elected a Bishop of the United Methodist Church in 2012, when Rev. Mark B. Girard became the congregation's sixth senior pastor.
In 2009, the members of nearby Aldersgate United Methodist Church merged into St. Luke. In October 2010, the Life Center was dedicated, adding classrooms and the gym that now hosts the contemporary service and the walking track. A multicultural worship service launched in February 2012, with scripture read in languages representing Kenya, Senegal, the Congo, Bhutan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. A Swahili missional community worship service began on March 22, 2015. The 40th anniversary, in 2016, was celebrated with a year of events culminating in a Unity Service that combined all of the worship gatherings.
In June 2019, Rev. Dr. Brian Ebel was appointed the seventh senior pastor. Between 2020 and 2022, the Multicultural Ministry merged with the Swahili Ministry, and the gym was upgraded with acoustic panels, a new stage, and state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment so that the Contemporary Service could move there from the Fellowship Hall. Then, in June 2023, St. Luke affirmed the importance of the ancient creeds of the Christian faith, disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church, joined the Global Methodist Church, and dropped “United Methodist” from its name, becoming simply St. Luke Church. The 50th Anniversary Year runs through 2026, marked by special services and gatherings.
The Swahili & French Language Ministry
Among St. Luke's most distinctive features is its Swahili & French ministry, which has its own lead pastor, its own worship service, a youth group, a choir, and a children's ministry. Rev. David Balondani, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has led the ministry since 2016. He preaches and teaches primarily in Swahili and French so that the Swahili-speaking diaspora of Lexington, many of them from the Congo, can worship in the language and cadence of their home churches.
The Sunday service draws together families from across Central Kentucky, and visitors from any background are welcome to join. The choir sings in Swahili, and the prayers and readings move fluidly between Swahili, French, and English. St. Luke's larger congregation is bilingual too: many members of the Traditional and Contemporary services speak up in Spanish, French, Swahili, Lingala, and Kinyarwanda in hallways and small groups, reflecting the multicultural reality of Lexington itself.
Next Generation: Children, Youth, and Kids Day Out
Children and youth are a central, not a peripheral, part of St. Luke. The church runs three coordinated children's programs during the morning services, a year-round preschool, and a middle and high school youth ministry that meets twice on Sundays and gathers for trips and retreats throughout the year.
The Nursery is staffed for children from birth through age two during the 8:20, 9:30, and 11:00 services. Preschoolers age two through four meet during the same hours: loving childcare during the early service, Preschool Sunday School at the contemporary service, and God's Playground - a playful hour of stories, games, crafts, and interactive worship - during the 11:00 traditional service.
Kindergarten through fifth grade have a choice of two Sunday morning experiences, both led by Children's Pastor Meredith Fulda. Power Hour meets at 9:30 and packs Bible stories, crafts, games, and drama into one fast-moving hour for elementary-age kids. God's Backyard, a full worship service just for kids, meets at 11:00 in the Loft with a teaching tailored to their age, a rotating curriculum that cycles through the Apostles' Creed, the twelve disciples, the Fruit of the Spirit, the Ten Commandments, and the Doxology, and a monthly celebration of communion. After the message, kids break into small groups to talk about how the lesson fits their everyday life.
The Youth Group, led by Youth Pastor Brenden Krebs, gathers 6th through 12th graders on Sunday mornings for Bible study in the Youth Room from 11:00 a.m. to noon, and again on Sunday evenings for Ignite, a high-energy time of fellowship, teaching, and worship that runs 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Trips, events, and retreats are spread across the year.
Kids Day Out is the church's licensed part-time preschool ministry, open to children one year old through pre-kindergarten. The program runs year-round, and children can be enrolled for one or two days per week. Days run 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for the one-year-old and two-year-old rooms, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays for three- and four-year-olds. Activities include arts and crafts, free play, large-motor play in the gym and on the playground, Bible stories, puzzles and games, circle time, music and dance, reading, and lunch. Tuition is $35 per day with a non-refundable $100 yearly enrollment fee per child, and Kids Day Out is self-supporting, run as a ministry of the church rather than as a business.
Discipleship Through Groups, Classes, and Bible Study
St. Luke's group life is built around a simple promise: every group pursues spiritual development and community at the same time. Groups typically number between five and twenty-five people and meet weekly during the fall and spring to study the previous Sunday's teaching, share prayer requests, and do life together.
House Groups are the main on-ramp for adult connection. Singles, couples, and families gather in homes across the week, talking through Sunday's sermon and praying for one another in a smaller, more intimate setting. Sunday School classes for children, students, and adults meet during the 9:30 and 11:00 hours. Beyond those, the church hosts college-age and young adult groups, covenant groups, a prayer shawl ministry, men's and women's Bible study groups, book clubs, ping-pong, and pickleball.
Short-term Bible studies run throughout the year on a wide variety of topics. An eight-week women's study of Lisa Harper's Luke: Gut-Level Compassion, facilitated by Beth Tackett, meets Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:45 a.m. in Room 126 (the Vine). Men's Prayer and Share gathers every Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall, with all men welcome to drop in. A long-running men's ministry also hosts an annual Veterans Day Breakfast in the Fellowship Hall.
St. Luke's teaching calendar is anchored by multi-week sermon series, with a wide archive stretching back for years. Recent series have included James: Faith That Works, The Plan: Knowing God's Will for Your Life, Summer School, and a VOICES series featuring different preachers each week. Every sermon is available as a video on YouTube, an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and a downloadable MP3.
God's Pantry and a Hand-On Mission to Lexington
The most visible arm of St. Luke's local mission is its on-site God's Pantry food bank, located in the back of the building at Door 6. Operated as part of the larger God's Pantry Food Bank network that serves Central Kentucky, the St. Luke pantry distributes groceries Monday through Friday from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Last year alone the congregation provided food to 8,823 households, an average of 735 families every month. The church collects donations through its Blue Barrel Sunday program, gathering canned vegetables, fruits, and other staples to stock the shelves. Volunteers are always needed: the pantry team asks for help from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays for stocking and serving.
Alongside God's Pantry, St. Luke runs and supports several other mission efforts:
- Friends of Joseph, a handyman ministry that provides small home repairs and accessibility modifications for older adults, widows and widowers, people with disabilities, and families in financial hardship. Named for Joseph, the carpenter father of Jesus, the ministry pairs skilled volunteers with households that need a ceiling fan replaced, a handrail installed, a leaking toilet fixed, or other small but important jobs.
- Habitat for Humanity partnerships, including hands-on construction days at local builds and volunteer shifts at the ReStore.
- Lexington Rescue Mission, where volunteers serve meals, mentor job seekers, deliver furniture to recently housed neighbors, and visit jails and detention centers.
- Nathaniel Mission, an after-school program that pairs Lexington church volunteers with neighborhood kids for mentoring and tutoring, two to three and a half hours per week.
- Common Good, a similar neighborhood-based mentoring and tutoring partnership.
- Baby Bottle Blessings, a partnership with Assurance for Life that supports local families facing unplanned pregnancies. Members fill baby bottles with spare change and return them on a set Sunday, with the proceeds staying in the community.
- Short-term mission trips have taken St. Luke teams to Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Peru, working alongside local missionaries on building projects and teaching. A separate West Virginia flood recovery trip is organized with the West Virginia Global Methodist Church. Cleaning buckets, assembled by St. Luke volunteers, are sent through UMCOR to disaster-affected areas after tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods.
Walking Through Hard Seasons Together
St. Luke's pastoral care network is among the most extensive parts of its ministry. The Chaplain, Rev. Frances Cadle, provides pastoral care and support to individuals and families during illness, grief, crisis, and loss, and she leads the Family Caregiver Support Group on Thursday afternoons. The Pastor of Encouragement, Rev. Bob Ockerman, focuses on members who are homebound, hospitalized, or in rehab, making visits, sending cards, and serving communion at home. Stephen Ministry pairs trained lay caregivers with people going through a difficult season, providing one-on-one Christian care over weeks and months.
Specialized support groups meet on the church campus throughout the week:
- GriefShare, a 13-week curriculum-based grief support group, runs each Sunday from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in Room 126. Sessions are self-contained, so newcomers can join on any week. A $20 fee covers the participant workbook. The group is led by Sue Lord.
- Alcoholics Anonymous groups meet regularly at the church, hosted by St. Luke and listed with the Bluegrass Intergroup.
- Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL) provides ongoing support for parents and family members navigating a loved one's substance use disorder. Led by Lynn Orr, this weekly group meets Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in Room 128, and newcomers can join at any time.
- The Interfaith Counseling Center maintains a counseling location on the St. Luke campus for affordable professional counseling.
- Special Friends Ministry supports children and individuals with special needs and their families during worship and church programming.
Beliefs, Mission, and Vision
St. Luke's mission statement reads: We exist to help those in the greater Lexington community know hope, healing, and wholeness through a transformed life in Jesus Christ. Its vision is short and direct: We are unashamedly passionate about pursuing Jesus together.
The congregation's four core convictions are:
- Loving and serving people where they are.
- Life-changing discipleship.
- Passing along our faith to the next generation.
- Leadership communicating with clarity and executing with excellence.
In June 2023 the church affirmed the importance of the ancient creeds of the Christian faith and joined the Global Methodist Church as part of that denomination's Mid-South Annual Conference. The Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Brian Ebel, serves as Chairperson of the Committee on Approval for the Global Methodist Church and as Chairperson of Church Planting for the Mid-South Annual Conference.
The Pastoral Team
Rev. Dr. Brian Ebel, the seventh Senior Pastor, was appointed in June 2019. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Aquinas College, an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Theology from the London School of Theology and Middlesex University. He and his wife Mandy have two children, Sarah Margaret and Luke.
Rev. Matt Penny, the Associate Pastor, joined St. Luke in 2025 and oversees discipleship ministries, shares in preaching and teaching, provides pastoral leadership and care, and helps guide Next Generation ministries. He holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from Arkansas State University and both an M.Div. and an M.A. in Leadership from Asbury Theological Seminary.
Rev. David Balondani has served as Lead Pastor of the Swahili & French ministry since 2016, focusing on preaching, teaching, and equipping the multicultural community for service. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he and his wife Magy and her daughter Sazana live in Lexington.
Rev. Bob Ockerman, the Pastor of Encouragement, ministers to St. Luke members who are homebound or in hospitals and rehab facilities through visits, calls, cards, and home communion.
Rev. Frances Cadle, an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church and a Kentucky attorney, joined St. Luke as Chaplain in 2023. She holds two degrees from Asbury Theological Seminary with a concentration in pastoral care and has a special passion for supporting family caregivers.
Meredith Fulda, the Children's Pastor, joined the staff in 2025 with a Master's in Theological Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary and more than fifteen years of cross-cultural ministry experience in Spain and Taiwan.
Brenden Krebs, the Youth Pastor, joined in 2026 while pursuing a Master of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary.
Brent Merritt has directed the Chancel Choir and Choral Scholars Program since 2010, having earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Illinois Wesleyan and a Master of Music Education in Choral Music from the University of Kentucky. Wes Wilcox, the Contemporary Worship Leader, plans music for the contemporary service and leads the volunteer band.
Visiting, Giving, and Staying Connected
St. Luke is easy to find and simple to visit. The main entrance is on the Alumni Drive side: Door 1 brings worshippers into the Sanctuary, while Door 3 is closest to the Sunday School rooms, children's wing, and youth spaces. Free parking is available on campus. The church is open for walking on the indoor track during office hours (Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.), with fifteen laps around the gym equaling one mile.
Three Sunday services - the 9:30 Contemporary, the 11:00 Traditional, and the 1:00 Swahili - are livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook each week, and recordings remain available afterward. Sunday sermons also appear as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS.
Giving is offered in person by cash or check in the offering boxes, online through Pushpay, by texting GIVE to 877-620-2988, or by mail to 2351 Alumni Drive, Lexington, KY 40517. The St. Luke app, available for iPhone and Android, lets members and visitors sign up for classes, studies, and volunteer slots; give online; view the church calendar; watch or listen to teachings; and browse the directory.
Anyone who wants to talk with the church can email or call a pastor or staff member directly through the Contact a Pastor page, drop a request into the prayer request form, or come to the church office during weekday hours. The weekly Infoline newsletter, the Kids Newsletter, and the Youth Newsletter are free to subscribe to.
Now fifty years on from that first service in Woodhill Shopping Center, St. Luke Church is still doing what its founders set out to do: gathering a wide mix of Lexington families, students, retirees, refugees, and long-time neighbors under one roof to learn the Bible together, serve their city, and care for one another through every season of life.